Evangeline's POVI walked towards the room where Kaia had entered earlier and pushed open the door gently. Kaia was still awake. She sat on the bed with her knees drawn to her chest, her arms looped around them like she was holding herself together. Her long black curls spilled across her shoulders, and her eyes were locked on a small pendant in her hand. She didn’t look up immediately, but she knew I was there. I felt her breath catch and release. A silent acknowledgment at least. “I thought you’d be asleep by now,” I said quietly, unsure of how to start. Her gaze shifted to me, calm, unreadable. Then she gave a slight shake of her head. “Sleep doesn’t come easy here.” Her voice was soft and honest. I stood there a moment longer, my fingers brushing the edge of the door, before stepping inside fully and closing it behind me. The room was warm, maybe even too warm. But my body felt cold. I didn’t sit immediately. I took in the space again. The plain bedding. The dresser that sm
Damien's POV I paced the length of my chambers like a caged wolf, the plush rug beneath my bare feet offering no comfort. Night weighed heavily on the fortress, its silence oppressive, but even that was no match for the howl inside me. The beast roared for its mate. Evangeline. I had given her the freedom to leave, to walk away, and she did it. Simple as that. She left, the way you release air from a clenched fist, swift, cold. My promise hung between us: “If you want to leave, go.” I should have expected it, emotion has always been my weakness. Yet still, emptiness clenches my chest. My mind replayed the last hours: her soft skin under my lips, the soft curve of her waist, the urgent, desperate softness of her breasts. The thought burned behind my eyes, weakening my resolve, unraveling me with desire and torment. I couldn’t have her. Until she willed it. That was the rule. But god, how I wanted her anyway. How I ached for the electricity when our bodies pressed together. The
Evangeline's POV Kaia's lips had just parted, her voice trembling with something like truth, something that felt too close to secrets buried too long, when the front door creaked open. I flinched slightly, not because I was startled, no, I had sensed the disturbance moments before but because I had hoped, selfishly, that Kaia would finally finish what she had started to say. The look in her eyes before the interruption was vacant, like a locked door behind, had been enough to warn me: whatever it was, it wouldn’t be easy to hear. “Hey Luna,” Edward’s voice came in, calm and light, carrying with it the smell of grease and cheese and something warm, comforting—pizza. He stepped into the apartment with a small paper bag tucked under one arm and a large pizza box balanced in the other. His smile was soft, friendly, like a breeze trying to enter a room filled with smoke. “You both must be famished,” he said. Kaia’s head snapped toward him, then down at the pizza box. Her eyes widened
Evangeline's POV Before the man could make further statements, another car swerved to a stop right and a huge familiar male got out and almost immediately, the strange man rushed towards his own car and drove off. Edward? I recognized him as he walked closer towards me and stopped then smiled. "Please get in." He ushered towards the car he came with and I nodded with no argument and slid in together with Kaia and in moments, he got in as well and sped off on the road. In few minutes, we arrived in what seemed like a penthouse and he led us in without a word until we were finally inside. I sat heavily in the nearest chair, the soft hum of silence around me feeling heavier than brick. Edward placed a glass of ice water on the small side table without speaking, his movements deliberate, calm. Kaia hovered beside me, her presence a quiet affirmation that I hadn’t completely fallen apart. Edward cleared his throat, setting his expression into that professional neutrality I had s
Evangeline's POVMy legs trembled as the elevator doors slid open, revealing the stark, fluorescent-lit hallway of the hospital’s morgue—the place where lifeless bodies were prepared before final rites. Fear and anticipation churned in my chest, dragging me further down as I followed the orderly and my fake agony-stricken companions. They stopped before a stainless steel table, the cold light above illuminating a single form, covered by a white sheet. My breath caught, my lungs tightening around dread. Kaia had been gently ushered back; only Lora and Nathan remained near, their faces pale and taut. The sheet was drawn back slowly, and the sight of Noah, my son hit me like a wave. Everything slowed as I slumped to the ground, tears exploding against my cheeks. “No—no, no!” I screamed, writhing forward. My fists clawed at the metal slab’s edge. “Noah! My baby! Please, please…” I pressed trembling fingers to the cold, damp skin of his cheek. Tiny tufts of dark hair, the curve of h
Evangeline's POV My heart lurched as the message blinked on my phone: Welcome…and welcome your dead Noah. From an unknown number. The world tipped. My legs buckled; fear and disbelief tangled in my chest. I dropped to my knees, staring at the screen as if it might change its words. But it didn’t. Panic roared through my veins. I scrambled to my feet, adrenaline propelling me immediately. The air hit my face cold and hard. I barely registered Kaia’s frantic voice calling my name behind me. My feet pounded down the road, echoing like a frantic plea. “Evangeline!” I didn’t stop. I couldn’t. Every moment delayed was a moment closer to losing him forever. I flagged down a cab one of the red-and-yellow city taxis and flung my phone at the driver. “120 Maple Street. Hurry,” I demanded, voice trembling. The driver glanced at me curiously but didn’t question. The engine roared to life, and the taxi darted into traffic. I stared out the window as streets blurred past. Trees